How sound are the sayings attributed to Ja‘far al-Sadiq: "The thunderbolt strikes the believer and the non-believer, but it does not strike the one who seeks forgiveness" or "the one who remembers [Allah]"? And how sound is what was reported from Ibn Abbas regarding salvation from thunder by saying: "Glory be to Him whom thunder glorifies with praise, and the angels out of fear of Him" three times? Are there any other narrations about thunder and how to be saved from it?

Summary of the answer: The narration from Ja'far: "The lightning strikes the believer and the disbeliever, but it does not strike one who remembers Allah, the Almighty," has a chain of reliable narrators, and no ruling has been made on its authenticity or weakness.

As for what has been reported from Ibn Abbas concerning thunder: - The exact wording mentioned in the question was not found. - It was reported from him that when he heard thunder, he would say: "Glory be to Him to Whom it glorifies," and "Indeed, thunder is an angel that announces rain." - It is authentically reported from him in the narration of al-Tirmidhi that thunder is: "an angel among the angels, entrusted with the clouds, having whips of fire with which he drives the clouds wherever Allah wills," and its sound is "its herding the clouds when it herds them until they reach where they are commanded."

The desirability of glorifying Allah upon hearing thunder: - It is desirable according to the majority (Hanafis, Malikis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis). - One should say: "Glory be to Him Whom thunder glorifies with His praise and the angels out of fear of Him. O Allah, do not kill us with Your wrath, and do not destroy us with Your punishment, and pardon us before that." - It is authentically reported from Abdullah ibn al-Zubair and Ibn Abbas that they would say: "Glory be to Him Whom thunder glorifies with His praise and the angels out of fear of Him."